An 8-year-old Lafayette boy has been hospitalized after he was hit by a truck on Tuesday while crossing South Boulder Road near LaMont Does Park, an area that some parents are concerned does not have enough safe crossing options for children.

Chelsea Romero said her son, Jordan Lucero, was riding his bike near LaMont Does Park and went to cross South Boulder Road when he was hit by a Ford F-250 pickup truck. Romero wasn't there when the crash happened, but they live nearby and some of Jordan's friends came over to tell her what had happened.

Jordan Lucero, 8, was hospitalized after he was hit by a truck on Tuesday while crossing South Boulder Road near LaMont Does Park in Lafayette on Tuesday. (Courtesy Photo)

"I immediately thought the worst and my heart just sunk," Romero said. "I ran out there really, really fast and got to him as soon as I could."

Jordan was transported to Children's Hospital Colorado with some broken bones, cuts and extensive scrapes to his body, but luckily he will not need surgery, and he hopes to be released in a few days.

"He's feeling a lot better today," Romero said.

Romero said Jordan's spirits were helped by a visit from an unexpected visitor: Former Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, who was at Children's Hospital Colorado visiting patients and just happened to swing by Jordan's wing.

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Jordan is actually a Carolina Panthers fan — "He loves Cam Newton," his mother said — but a visit from the quarterback who defeated his team in this year's Super Bowl still made his day as the two snapped a picture together.

"He had the biggest smile," Romero said, but added that her son decided to be honest with Manning. "He told him he didn't like the Broncos, and we were like, 'No! Don't say that!' cause we are Broncos fans. But (Jordan) was still in and out of it."

As for the crash, it is still under investigation. But Lafayette police Cmdr. Brian Rosipajla said so far witnesses have said Lucero went out into the crosswalk without stopping or activating the crossing signals.

The driver, who stopped at the scene, has not been issued a citation at this time, Rosipajla said.

But Annette Thull, the president Parent Teacher Association at Alicia Sanchez International School across the road from LaMont Does Park, said the crossings in that area have parents concerned.

"We know that is a problem area for sure, and that it's not safe," Thull said. "There have definitely been a lot of parents that have raised some concerns that it is not safe to cross South Boulder."

Thull said there are a lot of children walking around in the area, but said she suspects drivers are not conscious of the crosswalks with signals in the area because it is a straightaway.

"I think people don't see the lights when they are flashing, and I think kids need to also recognize that they need to push the light and still wait for cars to stop," Thull said. "It's definitely a combination of educating drivers and educating students."

Lafayette city spokeswoman Debbie Wilmot said the city feels the crosswalks with signals are safe.

"The area where the accident occurred utilizes a striped crosswalk and a pedestrian-activated, flashing crossing light," Wilmot said. "It is a safe system, which requires drivers to yield to the pedestrians when the light is flashing, and requires pedestrians to activate the light and watch to make sure drivers are yielding."

But Thull said she would ultimately like to see a tunnel or a bridge across both South Boulder Road and Baseline Road on either side of the school.

"I know it's a lot of money, but I think safety is more important than that," Thull said.

Jordan goes to Sanchez and knows Thull's child and was even at her house shortly before the crash, so hearing the news hit close to home for her.

"We went to go visit him in the hospital," Thull said. "Hopefully we can prevent somebody else from getting hit. Something definitely needs to be done over there."

In the meantime, Romero and her husband are juggling taking time off of work to be with Jordan while working enough hours to pay his medical bills. Jordan's family started a GoFundMe page to help raise money for the costs.

But Romero said she knows that even with Jordan's extensive injuries, things could have been much worse.

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